Nice to read of all the positive progress being made both with training and health. Well I had a great lesson on Friday. We worked on canter walk canter departs as well as the lateral work. SI to the right very easy, to the left not so much. Travers to the right almost impossible unless approached in a very specific way to start and travers left very easy......LOL...guess you can tell which is his stiff side/hollow side. Still I was pleased with Junior's efforts and his willingness to focus on the quality of the gait - keeping stretched over the top line. That is our homework for this week.
Now to Sunday.....the L grad training session.....I rode as a demo rider 10 or so years ago on Monty. It was an eye opener as it is for so many (both learners and demo riders). I figured I would probably not do it again; but, this time I was told that it was just focusing on biomechanics of the gaits not the tests or the movements so Junior would be fine to go second level and my coach needed to supply another rider. Well we hauled 90 minutes and arrived to find no stall. Junior had to stand on the trailer for close to an hour and a half before we could unload and tack for our ride time. I was pleased with how well behaved he was and then getting off the trailer and seeing cows, goats, donkeys, chickens etc all around and up close was amusing. He really didn't bat an eye and seemed right at home. There was quite a crowd at this session. Junior really didn't know what to think at first but didn't spook or shy at anything. He was a bit tense and was absolutely sure that all those people did not get the right memo, especially those right up front. Why weren't they handing him treats or pats for crying out loud???????...LOL....while another student of my coach's was having great difficulty with her very scared mare (hates going by people on the rail). Junior was convinced that they were there to play a game or be his entertainment.
Then my coach was a bit surprised to find out that we were riding segments of the tests. I bowed out for the turn on the haunches but sucked it up to ride the rest of the requests. For the most part Junior handled things for where he is in his training reasonably well. There were some not so great moments because we had no warm up, everything was stiff or distracted at first. Scores were all over the map; but, at the end of it, just like 10 years ago, I found out I ride a '5.5 - 6 mover' at best. Not unexpected at all.
The best moment, however, was when we were asked to each do a halt - rein back - medium walk. Of course we were asked to do it from the stand still (all standing at the other end waiting our turn) and to do it in front of one of the crowds and the 'funny' person holding that thing that made noise (judge doing the talking). Junior and I started the movement and it was the first time Junior was asked to approach the crowd from the left rein; so, we had a bit of a giraffe moment into the halt, a reluctant and lateral rein back with resistance into the medium walk. We took our critiques in stride and knew they were well deserved. Then the judge wanted us to come back and repeat the movement because some of the people didn't understand what parts were so bad. I said, 'really? you want me to bring a horse in training and try to ride it that poorly? I didn't TRY to ride the first one that poorly. It just came out that way due to the circumstances. I'm not going to TRAIN him to do it that way." The judge's response was basically to ride it again and she felt they would get what they wanted. So we rode it again........LOL.....and even the judge had to agree that the movement this time deserved a much higher score.....hee....hee.....hee.....hee.... The judge and crowd did get their wish, however, because one of the next riders to go had a similarly difficult first try at it and her horse failed to do the rein back with diagonal pairs as well.
I'm glad I went. It was a good experience for Junior in terms of exposure. One of the other riders on a horse the crowd really liked had a difficult time and got really down hearing them tear her and her horse apart on the movements. I explained to her that I had no trouble having the honor of riding the 'worst' mover, yup that is literally what they said. I also let her know that 10 years ago I rode a very similar horse in a very similar session and let the remarks fuel my fire to continue to train and show THAT horse to my silver medal. I told her that I'm living the deja vu and plan to do the same with my current beast but this time not settle until we earn our gold, God willing. I promised her that with an appropriate warm up and preparation for her tests, her scores at the next upcoming show will be far better. I did question my coach on the wisdom of asking a student to ride in front of such a crowd just a few weeks before a couple of shows. She knew I had weathered far worse but this was her other students' first time having to listen to such. It was pretty brutal; but, taking things into perspective and knowing the crowd, well, gaits are everything as we all know
and listening to how you start with that and then modify the base [score] from there, well again, deja vu..........I do so like second level; however, because at least it starts to level the playing field (we 'scored' well with our SI and travers and our second attempt at halt-rein back-medium walk
since we've only ever ridden 2nd 1)
.
. A goal I set maybe three years ago was that even if all I could do was ride the driveway around the indoor arena, part of our ride would be outside of an arena to get my little arena flower outside her comfort zone for a bit. 
I sent kid on to his house to get parents, called my dh and beat feet down the road to find the ATV. Crested the hill and saw ATV with child's arm sticking out from under it. Thank God, he was indeed pinned under it but only by one thigh (not broken btw) and had NO damage to pelvis, chest or abdomen, or head. I swear I've never been more relieved when he answered my shouting to him and when I got to him to assess his injuries. Dh and boys' dad rolled the vehicle off him (and almost dumped on me 
Maybe one of these days I can operate the buttons when everyone is watching 
